Swimming appliance



March 19, 1929. A. J. scHw LGE SWIMMING APPLIANCE Filed March 26, 1928 jierg jigs.

Patented Mar. 19,1929.

NITED STATES 1,705,738 PATENT OFFICE."

f ALBERT J. son'WALeE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SWIMMING APPLIANCE,

Application filed March 26, 1928. .Serial No, 264,673.

My invention relates to swimming appliances, and more particularly to such devices as are worn on the feet of the swnnmer to facilitate propulsiomand it is my'main object to provide a device of this land which is highly efficient in operation.

A further object of my invention is to so design'the novel swimming appliance that it presents a broad resistance to the water during the swimming stroke and practlcally no resistance during the return stroke.-

A still further object of the invention is to construct the same with a generally flat base, so that it may be used with comfort onthe ground when approaching or leaving the body of water.

specification and claims'to follow, a betterunderstanding of the invention may be gained by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which-:

Figure 1 is aplan View of the novel device,

showing its application;

- Fig. 2 is a bottom view;and

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, sections'on the lines 3 3 and 4:".4: of'Figure 1.

in the consideration of swimming devices of the character represented by my invention, it is a'fact that devices of the past have shown a tendency for clumsiness and complication. possibly because it was intended to. have these devices function inpeculiar ways. 'Pursuant to a careful scrutiny of the prior art and eX- periinents of late, I have found that a'device of this kind should be of the utmost simplicity in order to require no undue attention on the part of the wearer, or occasion nomishaps or repairs; at the same time, the device should be as efficient in action as Its simple construction may permit, and, of course, very light, In other words, an appliance of this kind should not suggest an array of mechanical parts and operations, but rather present the appearance of a light slipper or sandal, which may be in readiness immediately and Wlll not occasion any difficulty in being put .on or used. My experiments have resulted in adevice consistent with the above reasoning, andwhich fulfills the objects first outlined to their fullest extent Referring specifically to the drawing, it may be considered without other illustration, that the main embodiment of the invention is formed from a blank ofsheet metal, such as aluminum, for purposes ofv lightness. The gauge of this metal will naturally be the lightest consistent with the size of the appliance, as it mayv generally be assumedthat a smaller appliance will bewornby a person of less weight, and a larger one vice-versa;

hence, it will be obvious that the material will be of a grade consistent with the amount of weight or strain the appliance would be sub jected to, the latter being made in several sizes.

In forming the blank, atread portion 10 similar in form to the common shoe sole is provided as a base. Themetal is extended from the sides of this section in an inward directionto simulate the sections 11 of an upper, these sections meeting over the middle ofthe tread" section. At this point, the upper sections are bent back externally upon themselves and given a lateral spread to simulate wings 12. These wings gradually spread away from the upper sections 11. As

indicated in the drawing, the spread of the wings 12 isconsilderably in excess of the area of the tread section :10, myob-ject being to have the Wingssupplementthe latter as bafiies when the swimmer takes the back stroke with the foot. Thus, thetread section lO forms an ordinary baffle, while the augmented wing assembly 12 forms a master baffle. I

The appliance,as far as'it has been described, isnaturally intended to receive the greater part of the swimmer-7s foot, that is, from the arch to the toes, and I haveprovi'ded a suitable strap 13 for the attachment ofthe device over the instep, and a complementary strap 14 to apply to the ankle. Each I of these straps is provided with "suitable r-earpart of the tread s'ectionlO by passing it through slots 10 longitudinally made in the same; This arrangement of s trap's is but an example of how the novel swimming applibuckles 15, and the strap 13 is secured to the I ance may be secured for use. I claim nothing patentably novel for the strap arrangement, and may vary the design of the same in case I find it necessary.

The frontal portions of the tread section 10 and the upper sections 11 do not meet to form a closure, but are cut off to leave, an opening 16, so that any water that may accumulate in the enclosure ofthe tread sec tion and the upper sections may readily escape; also, the opening 16 provides ventilation for the toes of the foot.

At the rear, the upper sections 11 depart to meet the instep formation of the wings 12 and join the same as indicated at 17. The joint is preferably made by turning in the in step edge of the wings 12 and firmly pressing or otherwise closing the same upon the corresponding ends of the upper sections 11. This style of joint presents a smooth, rounded edge to facilitate the insertion. of the foot; and, in this connection, it may be said that the edges of the frontal opening 16 will also be doubled over for smoothness of contact. The treatment of the edges in this manner also reinforces the sheet metal at points where it is most apt to weaken. i

In analyzing the formation of thenovel appliance, it willbe seen that the formation of the upper sections upon the tread section, which will be imparted by ressing, gives the appliance a firm foundation against strains and distorting influences suffered when the swimmer stands or walks while wearing the appliance. The inner structure is thus virtually a shoe of itself and hasself-sust'ai-ning properties. In order that the meeting sections over the foot may fit uniformly, I prefer to square the return bends of the uppersections with the wings, as indicated at 18 in Figure 4, these bends seating squarely against each other and resisting distorting strains or relative motion on the part of the component sections.

By viewing the under side of the appliance, as shown in Figure 2, it will be seen that the tread section 10 forms a sole which may be'used in that sense while the swimmer is walking on the beachor on the bottom of the body of water. In other words, the tread section is virtually flat and adapts itself readily to any surface, so that the swimmer may put on a pair of the appliances at a point distant from the water and experience no difficulty whatever in walking to the water or in the same. The wings 12 are slightly flexible, and capable of yielding to any ordinary inequalities of the ground while the swimmer is walking, presenting no impediment or handicap in that connection. I

A structure ofwings to supplement the foot for swimmingis notnovel in any-sense, but the manner in which Ihaveformedthe present wings 12 in their relation to the upper sections 11 is peculiar and brings out a novel function. By forming the wings 12 in the manner shown, not only are the wings integral with and reinforced-by the joined structure inside, but they create apocket between themselves for the upper sections 11 to more readily engage the body of water. Thus, if the pockets were not present, much of the water negotiated by the active stroke of the swimmer would depart laterally on the theory of seeking the course of least resistance, so that a considerable amount of the force exerted by the swimmer would be wasted. By forming the pockets referred to, a section of the water is engaged by the wings 12 and confined in the pockets to present its own resistance to the general body of water behind the foot, exerting a better grip, so to speak, upon the latter. In other words, with a part of the general body of water literally fitted into the pockets of the appliance, it will be easy to imagine that a better hold is secured by the appliance upon the general body with the effect that more water is-negotiated and better speed gained. I

In conclusion, it may be stated that the novel appliance forms a handy and efficient adjunct to the swimmer who is anxious to improve his speed or to the novice who .wishes to gain a better control. The device is exceedingly light, relatively small in size, has no delicate or complicated parts to demand attention and get out of order, and maybe put on as quickly as a sandal or skate. The simplicity oftheappliance due to its onepieee formation makes it an inexpensive article/to produce, and enables it to be sold at a popular price. While I have illustrated and described the invention in the preferred form it will be evident that the same is capable of many minor changes and refinements and it is my intention to claim such changes and refinements as coming within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A swimming appliance comprising a trough of sheet material for the deposit of the forward portion of the foot, the sides of the trough closing over the position of the foot along a longitudinal course, and departing externally in return fashion and with a spread to form wings.

2. A swimming appliance comprising a body of thin sheet material having a tread portionor sole with its sides curved upwardly and inwardly over the tread portion and extending reversely outward forming wings.

3. A swimming appliance comprising a sole portion provided with side portions which converge longitudinally over the sole portion to form a receiving body for the foot, said side portions being extended in d'iver'ging relation from thefconverg'in'g poi'tionsto form wings.

4:. A swimming appliance comprisingside portions curved inwardly to conform to the upper surface of the foot and beingreversely curved in spaced relation to the inwardly curved portions to form relatively broad wings.

5. A swimming appliance comprising side portions curved inwardly to conform to the upper surface of the foot and being reversely curved in spaced relation to the inwardly 1 curved portions to form relatively broad wings terminating in the plane of the bottom of the foot.

6. A' swimming appliance comprising a pair-of curved inner and outer side members at each side of the foot, said pairs of inner and outer side members being secured in spaced relation by abutting longitudinally disposed upright Walls. r

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. ALBERTJ SCHWVALGE. 

